


Walking Away

by Skylight6



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Jason Todd, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Mentioned charater death, rhato - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 13:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylight6/pseuds/Skylight6
Summary: Jason wasn’t angry. He was hurt. Literally wounded.





	Walking Away

**Author's Note:**

> Had to get this off my chest. I love Jason and I felt the interaction between him and Bruce didn’t make any sense given the interaction in #25 RHATO. Only my second fan fiction so far and I’m still figuring this stuff out. 
> 
> Hope you like it!

Jason wasn’t angry. He was hurt, literally wounded. Dislocated shoulder, fractured ribs and likely concussion. Jason was pretty sure he was bleeding somewhere as well. He had never been happier to see Roy. 

Jason knew the truce between him and Bruce was tenuous at best and doomed to fail at worst. Still Jason had tried. He had refrained from killing anyone for months.

He was trying to follow Bruce’s rules. But this time he snapped and he knew it. Given the circumstances, could anyone really blame him?

Bruce did.

The arrival of the bat was expected. Jason knew Bruce would track him down. He thought he knew what was coming. But he underestimated the depth of Bruce’s anger.

That was no fight between father and wayward son.

Batman didn’t kill him, but he certainly played judge, jury and executioner when handing out his sentence. Bruce came at him with everything he had. 

Jason knew Bruce would be pissed, but he hadn’t expected being at Batman’s mercy. If Roy hadn’t shown up when he did, Jason’s confident he’d be sitting in Arkham. He had a feeling Bruce wouldn’t hesitate to lock him up and throw away the key.

The thought was enough to make his hands shake. He survived Arkham once, with minimal sanity remaining when Tim broke him out. A second stint would either drive him completely mad or kill him. 

*******  
Where did he go from here?

Jason couldn’t go back. Not to Gotham and certainly not to Bruce. He tried to play by Batman’s rules and failed. Months of effort dismissed, cast aside.

Jason was tired of paying his dues, and he was tired of being Bruce’s “mistake”, his “greatest failure”. Done with being the black sheep of the family and certainly done with being an emotional and physical punching bag. 

With Artemis and Bizzaro gone, and Roy back in rehab, he’s alone again. He tells himself he prefers it that way, but underneath the bravado, he would kill hundreds more to have the rest of the outlaws back. 

He needed to keep working. Keep moving. There was more to track down regarding the underground. Jason would finish the work Roy and him started. 

So he set out on his own. A drifter. Jason would find distractions for as long as he needed.

Moving from town to town, Jason eventually found himself walking down a quite rural road. In the distance he spotted a diner/truck stop and the thought of a large coffee was the only thing keeping him on this feet. 

Jason entered the diner relaxed, but with a slight air of exhaustion. His physical presence was often intimidating and could draw unwanted attention in towns where people had nothing to do but mess with strangers. 

Ordering a large black coffee, Jason shook his head at himself realizing he was developing Tim’s taste for coffee, he sat down at the counter. 

Senses having catalogued all exits and every person present in the diner, Jason truly relaxed.

He was on his second cup of coffee when he tensed instinctively. Familiar footsteps entered the diner, followed by the sent of a familiar, and expensive cologne. 

Jason didn’t bother turning around to confirm Bruce was behind him. He could feel the weight of Bruce’s gaze on his back. So he remained facing forward, slowly drinking his coffee and putting on the appearance of complete calm. 

Bruce could probably see right through him, but he would do his damned best to keep the facade going. 

He pretended to read the menu on the wall when he felt Bruce take a seat next to him at the counter. Suddenly the coffee wasn’t a strong enough drink for this confrontation to take place. Despite being 8am Jason needed a fucking beer or three. 

Surprisingly, Bruce broke the ice first. “Didn’t expect to find you in a place like this. Took a while to track you down”

Jason snorted. He wasn’t looking to be found. Ignoring the statement he continued to drink his, now lukewarm, coffee. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason say Bruce shift in his seat like he was nervous or uncomfortable about something. Jason decided to wait him out. Bruce tracked him down, so Bruce could shoulder the burden of conversation. 

Bruce opens mouth to speak only to pause, as if he’s weighing his words carefully. “There was an attack recently. I....Roy Harper is dead.” It was then Bruce turned directly toward him. “I’m so sorry Jason”. 

But Jason didn’t hear his apology. Jason could barely hear anything above the roaring in his ears. He knew something had been wrong. Had felt it. There had been a constant pull in the back of his mind lately, that something was coming, but he dismissed it as ever present paranoia. Now his best friend was dead and Jason’s world tilted on it’s axis. 

Jason didn’t let his inner turmoil show. He kept his face blank and body still. He wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce was expecting a violent outburst. Maybe that’s the only reason he decided to deliver the news himself. Because he could contain Jason if he lost it. 

Instead, Jason set is empty coffee cup to the side and pushed away from the counter, pausing to leave cash for the bill and tip. Not even sparing Bruce a glance he turned and headed for the diner door, only to pause and partially turn toward Bruce. “Thank you for passing the news along” he stated in a tone that sounded dead, even to Jason. 

He proceeded to leave the diner, the chill of the spring night hitting him in the face as he trudged across the gravel parking lot. 

The sounds of crunching gravel rapidly approaching from behind brought Jason to a halt. Not bothering to turn around he waited for Bruce to state his intentions. 

“What are you planning to do?”

Jason chuckled bitterly to himself. ‘So that’s what he’s really worried about.’

The gaze Jason turned on Bruce was ice cold. “What do you care? We aren’t in Gotham.” Bruce remained silent a look of confusion and guilt on his face. 

“Look, Bruce, I appreciate you notifying me about Roy. Consider me notified. There is nothing to discuss and I don’t owe you anything. Not an explanation, not my plans and certainly not my loyalty.”

“Jason, just because I’m not letting you back in Gotham, and for obvious reasons, doesn’t mean I’m not concerned.”

Jason couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah, your concern was obvious when your fist was breaking my helmet. Your concern was obvious when you wouldn’t even listen to my side of the story.” He shook his head. “You can take your ‘concern’ and shove it up your ass. Regardless of what I do, you will always think the worst of me first. So we are done Bruce. There is no redemption story for us. There is no going back.”

As expected Bruce kept his face blank. Though guilt, pain and desperation could be seen in his eyes, Jason simply turned his back and walked away.


End file.
